Working for the full equality and inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Jews in Jewish lifeLearn More +

Torah Queeries

Keshet’s Torah Queeries archive offers more than 150 creative and incisive “queer” takes on the weekly Torah portions and major Jewish holidays, written by some of the Jewish world’s most dynamic scholars, rabbis, activists, and lay leaders.

The author discusses our human urge to connect with God and its relationship to struggling with verses of Torah that do not speak to us as LGBT Jews. We know that some of the Torah’s words seem homophobic, sexist, insensitive to disabled people,…

In this Torah portion, the author likens the Israelites struggle with freedom to that of LGBT people’s coming out experience. Like the Israelites, when we finally extricate ourselves from the closet, it can be easy to look back in and…

The author explores the notion of the Ner Tamid, the eternal flame, as a metaphor for the ‘eternal light’ that lives within all human beings. According to biblical Hebrew, tamid can be translated as “performed regularly” or “necessitating…

This story of liberation and faith has been claimed by countless communities as part of their journey out of their own “narrow place.” As lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer folks, we too are yearning for those stories that reveal…

The author discusses the position the Torah portion appears to take on the issue of rendering judgment, and the ways in which distance from certain events permits clearer judgment of the events themselves. She asks what it means for the next…

The author explores the characteristics of love in different religious and secular writing and argues that queer religious love, when it is realized, is necessarily self-aware, because it has been tested, as Abraham’s love was tested.…

The author explores the notion of terumah, translated as gift, portion, offering, or donation. He asks how this can be considered a donation if, in the context of this Torah portion, God commands the Israelites to give a terumah. Further, why…

Commentary on the scapegoat. Whether killed by the knife or abandoned in the woods, the sin-offering goat is a potent symbol. What does it mean to release our sins—or relieve our worries about being held accountable—not by repairing the…

The author discusses the imagery of the Israelites wandering through the wilderness, focusing on a midrash that says that each tribe moved in its own unique way. He sees the LGBTQ community as its own tribe within the congregation of Israel.…

The author relates her own experience of struggling with her relationship to halakha (Jewish law) to Korach doing something similar in this parsha. She names two lessons she learns from this parsha, that you have to pick your battles, and that…

In this sermon. Rabbi Carl Perkins discusses discrimination and bigotry against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the Jewish community and in mainstream American society, specifically in the context of the rise in LGBT…

In this commentary, the author argues that LGBT Jews spend a lot of time defending ourselves against misunderstood Torah verses that supposedly forbid same-sex relationships. Rarely do we have the opportunity to pro-actively affirm, rather…

This commentary discusses the literary themes and narrative structure of the Torah portion. The author argues that there is an overarching meta-narrative to the portion which suggests that the ethical behavior of soldiers will lead to ultimate…

The author explores the question of how Noah’s enormous personal losses affect his life after the flood. He cultivates the world’s first vineyard, drinks the world’s first wine, and, upon drinking himself into oblivion, becomes the…

The author writes about power-hungry Pharaoh, who is more interested in upholding his own power than protecting his own people, and the cunning strategy of the Egyptians magicians: to use their powers on the Egyptian people – not on Moses…

The author explores the original creation story, wherein God created humankind in God’s own image, as proof that God created an array of sexual orientations and gender identities. She then explores the stories of Ruth and Naomi and…

This Torah portion focuses on the story of Joseph, a dreamer and a visionary who was reviled and exiled by his own siblings. The author argues that this story is profoundly relevant to LGBTQ Jews. Many of us can recall our first feelings of being…

The author argues that this Torah portion is a story about speech: who has the power of the tongue, and what impact words can have. As members of the queer community, we can glean something from this portion when we encounter hate speech and as…

The book of Leviticus details the knowledge necessary to carry out the job of the descendants of the house of Levi. The Torah makes it clear that the purity of our selves and our homes are linked; that keeping each clean and free of disease or decay…

The author explores the relationship of Jacob and Esau 20 years since they parted ways, comparing their relationship struggles to our modern-day ones. Making peace, finding and granting forgiveness, reuniting and finding joy amid terrors…

The author summarizes in detail the story of Cain and Abel, ending with God angrily punishing Cain. He compares this to the experience of many LGBT people, who have experienced much of the same treatment in the hands of our own families.…

The author argues that this portion is about creating a just society. Before entering the Israelites enter the Promised Land, Moses gives a speech providing ethical and administrative norms to be followed by the community. A dominant word…

The author discusses the complex details of building the Mishkan (Holy Tabernacle) in this Torah portion. She discusses why there are so many details about color and texture, metals and stones and fibers. After centuries of famine and slavery,…

The author discusses the pain of Moses not being allowed to enter the Promised Land and what lessons LGBTQ people might learn from this. She writes that queer people have stories of “Promised Lands” of heterosexuality that we…

In this drash, the author, using a modern lens and language of “dating,” explores the story of Abraham’s quest to find a wife for his son Isaac. She writes that according to this story, bringing the right people together …

The author writes that one of the obstacles to reading Torah from a twenty-first century perspective is that the Torah radically diminishes the significance of individual human life. the narrative terseness that pares individual lives…

The author explores the question of why Jews don’t read the book of Joshua as part of our worship service. Why does that Torah reject a tidy satisfying closure to its epic tale? Our human lives aren’t like a Hollywood fairytale, no matter…

One Midrash holds that Isaac was born with a female soul. The binding of Isaac was a ritual through which Isaac’s soul transmuted from female into male, enabling Isaac to eventually fall in love with and marry Rebecca. The author explores…

The author discusses God’s commandment for the Hebrews to smear the blood of a sheep on their doorpost to ensure their protection from the Angel of Death as a sort of “coming out.” She argues that if we read this story as a collective…

The author explains that this Torah portion deals with categorization, and explores what lessons can we, as queer people, learn from priestly rituals about gendered child-birth, menstruation, and diseases which affect people and cloth…

The presence of Aaron, his advocate, provides Moses with the support he needs to confront Pharaoh and begin the divine process of liberating the Jewish people from Egypt. The author argues that it is our responsibility as non-transgendered…

A commentary on counting the omer. The author explains the Kabbalistic sefirot (emanations from God) for counting the omer. Each sefira has a complicated gender and sexual identity, which the author explains. Queer neo-Kabbalistics teach…

The first of this week’s double portion opens with instructions to the Israelites regarding the birth of a baby. The authors argue that in the Bible, as in mainstream thinking today, a baby is either a boy or a girl–and that this is not…

One definition of the verb “to queer” is “to question all norms.” The author argues that if we are going to queer Jewish traditions, there is no more important and formidable place to start than at Ma’amad Har Sinai—the narrative…

The author retells the story of the complex family of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel and compares it to our modern-day queer families. Kabakov discusses Leah and Rachel’s relationship and its similarities with lesbian co-parenting. She suggests…

The author writes of the restrictions on who is able to offer sacrifices to God in this Torah portion, explaining that any kind of physical difference renders one ineligible to serve God as a religious leader. She discusses the different leaders…

The author argues that this Torah portion focuses on creating boundaries and drawing lines — differentiating between the objects of creation, naming them and categorizing them. Naming something is a powerful experience, traditionally…

The author discusses the three-tiered priestly blessing, which is used both to bless life and afterlife. He breaks down each of the three parts and interprets them for GLBT liberation: watching over, kindness and grace, and peace.…

The author argues that Using Leviticus as the starting point or the end game to talk about Judaism and homosexuality is to agree that Judaism is a religion of narrow laws that do not always have meaning and that we have to contort and squeeze ourselves…

The author compares the selection of the Cohanim in this Torah portion to the person granting access to an exclusive gay club in Tel Aviv. He then draws parallels between being gay and having a disability: who better to understand each other…

The author wonders what differentiated Abraham from others to deserve God’s command to “go to yourself,” arguing that God did not single out Abraham, and that all people are offered the same opportunity. Abraham decided…

In this portion, God commands Moses to send twelve scouts to the land of Canaan on a reconnaissance mission. The scouts report back that the people who inhabit the land are large and numerous. The author argues that this portion plays on universal…

After the exodus from Egypt, the Hebrews are commanded to be circumcised. Separations must exist and distinctions must be made between “in” and “out”, “brother” and “other.” After years of repression, the Hebrews (like…

The author explores some questions and difficulties he sees in animal sacrifice, arguing that it is easier to think about these “sacrifices” as part of a tribal economy with the Covenant as its ethical center. He also creates a connection…

The author explains that this portion tells us that if we are obedient we will be blessed, with the blessings described in one short paragraph, and if we are not obedient we will be cursed. The Torah then unloads pages of orgiastic curses that…

The author argues that this portion contains the “first full-fledged liturgy in Torah,” and notes that during the week the commentary was written, CBST and Sha’ar Zahav, the LGBT synagogues of New York and San Francisco,…

The author discusses four women who gave birth to the Jewish people, two of whom, Bilhah and Zilpah, were surrogates who were forgotten by our tradition. As GLBT Jewish parents, we reclaim these unnamed parents as our forbears.…

The author remarks on Jewish time: it goes in cycles from Shabbat to Shabbat, and one year to the next, with lots of ups and downs for the different emotions of different holidays. He explores the holiday of Tu B’Av, the Jewish love holiday,…

The author compares the ritual cow slaughter described in the Torah portion to the gay pride parade. Both Chukat Ha-torah and Pride parades are opportunities to mark the meaningful passage of time (life and death), to foster a sense of belonging…

The author points out that, similar to the gay community, there are many different family models in the Torah. The continuing presence of children in the gay community is a chance for us to have a meaningful impact on the lives of young people…

In this commentary, the author explores a queer reading of the Torah portion that does not rely on an understanding of its historical context. He argues that it is important that we admit what we don’t know and venture into the unknown to adapt…

Approaching the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and the inauguration of President Barack Obama, the author ruminates on leaders who took chances to make change and lost their lives because of it.…

The author teaches that these Torah portions are meant to prevent us from becoming greedy. We are commanded to let the land rest every seventh year to acknowledge that it does not belong to us. Giving both people and land a fresh start is imperative…

The author discusses the census of the Israelites taken in this portion, asking who was counted and not counted. She continues, arguing that the change of a contribution “suggested by their hearts” to a standard price for everyone…

This commentary interweaves verses from the Torah portion with personal stories of family and coming out. The author compares Joseph’s family’s inability to recognize him with a drag queen whose homophobic brother does not…

A tongue-in-cheek essay by Rebbetzin Hadassah Gross, the drag queen persona of Amichai Lau-Lavie, about the meaning behind Purim. She writes about some of the issues facing the Jewish community and gives some advice for how rabbis might deal…

The author contends that the ability to recount a history shows that a community has, in fact, become a community. It is the birth of a collective memory, often retold by elders as oral history, and these collective memories include the painful…

The author describes the sacrificial system detailed in this Torah portion, and explores the reasons why we no longer have a sacrificial system in present-day Jewish practice. He posits that the sacrificial system neglects is the idea that…

The author argues that in this portion, Torah’s language breaks through the distance between God and us, reaches out directly to engage us in conversation. At Sinai, we are commanded not to oppress the stranger. The language of this commandment…

The author discusses the preparations for Revelation, in which the Israelites are commanded “do not go near a woman.” The author explains the different interpretations that have been given for this commandment, concluding…

Sexual practices are forbidden not because of the convenient rationales one often hears today, but because they are maasei mitzrayim, acts of Egypt, and thus taboo for Israelites, who are exhorted to live a life circumscribed by distinctions.…

The author explains that this Torah portion is the story of rebellion, of speaking out and against those in power. Korach rises up against Moses. Korach’s complaint can be understood as a cry of inequality, similar to those of LGBT people.…

The author explores the notion of “an eye for an eye,” arguing that traditional Jewish commentary has always read the “eye for an eye” idea as a kind of metaphor, as a call to take justice seriously. She then uses this concept…

The author argues that there is enough evidence to suggest that Joseph was in some sense “queer”—an outsider dwelling on the inside, a figure apart from his family, and someone who doesn’t quite fit in. This commentary is an exploration…

The author explores Joseph’s possible transvestism as reason for why his family did not recognize him when they came to ask for food during the famine. Further, Joseph’s story is similar to that of many gays, lesbians, bisexuals…

In this portion, Jews are encouraged to literally “come out” of the settlement to worship, celebrate freedom, give ceremonial charity, and cement our own identities, although at the same time we are encouraged to use identity labels…

The author writes of the Israelites’ desire to return to Egypt/Mitzrayim, to slavery, relating it to the idea of LGBT people leaving the confines of the perennial closet for greener “freer” fields – of being “out” of the closet.…

The author writes about the irony of spending the holiday of freedom in a kind of slavery: the days of cleaning, the hours of the tedious Seder, the week of not eating the foods that we want. He tells the reader about his experience on a 5-month meditation…

The author ruminates on the word “Ayeca?”/”Where are you?” which God calls to the first human creations, and addresses gay Jewish men in Jewish communal life: Where are you? Gay men participate in smaller numbers than lesbians in…

The author reads this portion with an aim toward living out its love and radical liberation in our own lives. He likens Pharaoh’s demeanor to the “lustful, objectifying, arrogant Pharaonic potential that casts a shadow over…

The author writes of several commandments from God to love: the stranger, those who are different, God. The Torah recognizes the important truth that if we love those around us we will make sure that the laws and rules will change according to…

The author argues that this portion contains perhaps the most audacious challenge to male authority recorded in the Torah. The focus of this commentary is on Miriam’s and Aaron’s respective roles in challenging Moses’ prophetic authority…

The author argues that this portion is about what often happens to those of us who ask troublesome questions of tyrants who have “God on their side,” and it is about the victors who compose the stories we call scripture.…

For the author, this Torah portion reads like a divine statement on the “nature versus nurture” debate: Are our identities and destinies somehow inherent in us, or are we shaped by the environment in which we are brought up, formed by the…

The author explores what it means to be commanded to fulfill mitzvot. He then asks a question facing Jewish communities in relation to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues: What does Jewish law tell us? And if we aren’t satisfied…

The author explores the story of the “strange fire” brought by Nadav and Avihu in this Torah portion. How do we know whether we have been invited to enter the sphere of holiness or whether we are trespassing and defiling that sphere?…

The author asks why a census must be taken. To be counted is to be blessed. To count others is to bestow a blessing upon them. She argues that this is what LGBT Jews have been doing since the 1970’s: started synagogues and organizations,…

The author argues that this Torah portion poses some gargantuan challenges to progressive-minded Jews – it provides detail about animal sacrifice. He explores the original purpose of sacrifice, both practical and spiritual—the…

In this portion, the Israelites are nearing the end of their journey in the desert, and need some pushing to keep moving. The author relates this to the narrative of LGBT people–in every generation, gays and lesbians and bisexuals and…

The author explores the concepts of Tum’ah and Taharah (ritual impurity and purity) regarding the death of Miriam. She then asks how we reintegrate queer experience into the sacred center of our people when male homosexuality is considered…

The author reframes the Jewish people not as “People of the Book” but as “People of the Question,” highlighting the questions in this Torah portion, and stressing that Judaism is a religion that encourages us to…

The author draws an analogy between the celebration Pesach Sheni (second Passover) and the allowance of gay marriage. Pesach Sheni allowed for Passover observance a month later than the commanded date because of ritual impurity or travel.…

The author explains that this portion’s three events form a cohesive cycle beginning with exclusion and ending with inclusion. He compares LGBT people to nazirites, who set themselves apart from the mainstream. He also discusses…

The author writes that Jews are wrestlers–we wrestle with God, and we wrestle with other Jews, and we wrestle with ourselves. In this Torah portion, Korach and his followers become restless in figuring out their new-found freedom.…

The author argues that this Torah portion contains an in-your-face radical economic construct–the Sabbatical and Jubilee years, where land lays fallow and community financial scores are set back to zero (respectively). He discusses…

The author examines Joseph’s moral character and asks whether he is a spoiled brat, favorite child of his father, a tease and a show-off, a goody-goody and a tattle-tale; or a genius, politically and psychologically astute and insightful?…

The author argues that the story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt represents the stories of all people who have faced oppression. He writes that we should take our cues from the Israelites, who rebelled, first against Pharaoh and then…

The author describes the story of Joseph’s interactions with his brothers after he frames Benjamin for stealing a goblet. She offers an alternative translation for Judah’s plea with Joseph, “Bi Adoni,” as ‘God…

The author explores the commandment to blot out the memory of Amalek, but also to not forget. She asks, how do we blot out a memory and not forget at the same time? She also writes of the metaphorical significance of “every first fruit of…

The author explains that this Torah portion is read twice during the yearly cycle, the first time during Yom Kippur and the second during Passover. She asks, what is the link between Yom Kippur and Passover? She then reinterprets the verses…

The author argues that in this Torah portion, Moses and the People of Israel are learning to build up a community of shared liberation. The author compares the Israelites to his LGBT community in Berkeley and the conflicts around shared goals…

The author explores the concept of ritual impurity in this commentary. She describes the isolation forced on people suffering from tzara’at, comparing it to the social isolation faced by queer people.…

Commentary on the building the Holy Tabernacle. The author asks, what does it mean to create holy space? One point of creating physical sacred spaces is to help our bodies and minds to become sacred spaces themselves. The importance of creating…

A drash on the book of Ruth and its teachings about the spiritual nature of Shavuot. Ruth’s pledge of mutuality and shared destiny to Naomi in the face of the unknown enables what is clearly a path of despair and hopelessness to be transformed…

The author explores the concept of ritually unclean animals in this Torah portion. The word used to describe an unclean animal is “abomination,” the same word used to describe homosexuality. Contemporary people who use the…

In this essay, Amy Soule compares two stories, one from Parashat Vayera about Sodom, and one from the book of Judges, both about men seeking sex with men, and are offered women to rape instead. In the Sodom story, the men eventually have sex with…

The author explores the story of Miriam and Aaron challenging Moses’ authority as a prophet and speak “against Moses regarding the Cushite woman he had married.” For this, God punishes Miriam by afflicting her with tzaaras, a skin condition…

The author summarizes the story of Jonah, highlighting Jonah’s attachment to judgment. As queer folk, many of us carry deep wounds around judgment. Unlike human hearts, which have a hard time expressing love at the same time that they…

The author explores the deception of the sister-swap of Rachel and Leah and compares it to the accusations on LGBT people of deceiving our relatives when we come out and live honestly, as God intended us to live.…

In this Torah portion, the tribes take a census of their members. The author discusses who is counted in the census and who is excluded, comparing the exclusion of women to the current exclusion of many LGBTQ Jews in synagogues.…

The author discusses the case of the talking she-ass in this parsha as a “queer” biblical moment in which the boundaries of human/animal are crossed and we are for a moment linked back to primeval wholeness. In our modern world, it’s queers…

The author discusses the difficulties faced by prophets, the challenges that God brings to them. Prophets are often directed to deliver a message of destruction to a group of people and at first resist this task. The author compares this to…

In this Torah portion, the Israelites have wandered in the desert for 38 years and are poised to enter the Promised Land. Similarly, argues the author, in 2008 (when this commentary was written), members of the Jewish and queer communities…

The author argues that there are more spiritually resonant symbols associated with the Festival of Sukkot than with any other major Jewish holiday. The sukkah, in its impermanence and frailty, that generates divine energy. The author explains…

In honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance, the author offers some insights into how we, as queer Jews and allies, can understand and connect with what it means to be transgender.In this Torah portion, Jacob takes on a new name, like many transgender…

The author teaches that the word “eikev” (heel) in the context of Torah teaches us to make decisions that are in accordance with G-d and with the larger society — even more so when the larger society is unjust. LGBT people, like the children…

Compares tzara’at, a skin condition discussed in the parsha, with AIDS. The author argues that much like people with tzara’at in the parsha, people living with HIV or AIDS have often been blamed for their disease, with their suffering…

The author argues that the Holiness Code described in this Torah portion established a lineage that was queer for its time, in that it was neither kin based, nor procreative. He also argues that the Rabbinic discourse on Jewish practice has…

The author tells a personal story about Purim costumes and argues that the brilliance of Purim is that it understands how much of ourselves we hide, and that one way to reveal ourselves is to hide even further. The observance of Purim teaches…

The author discusses the myriad characters in this Torah portion and the twists and turns that their stories take. Everyone in this story goes through radical transformation based in spiritual binaries and contradictions. He compares this…

In this Torah portion, we read about the punishments that will come if we do not follow the laws of the Torah exactly. We’re also given a few instructions about being thankful, part of which is about sharing our blessings with others. The…

The author discusses the concept of fearing God in this Torah portion, arguing that particularly those of us who are queer, who have believed or have been told that we are “going against God’s will,” may not be able to relate to a God who…

The author explores the two version of the Ten Commandments, discussing the differences between the two versions of the Fifth Commandment, and the difficulty LGBT people may be faced with by abiding by this commandment. It is very difficult…

The author describes the event of the giving of the Ten Commandments and explains that the first commandment actually occurs at the beginning of the Torah: “be fruitful and multiple.” He explores the common push in Jewish communities…

The authors asks why the construction of the Mishkan (the Holy Tabernacle) occurs during a period of strife and disaffection, and what motivating force drives the desire to give offering to God at the height of exile. He argues that it is the…

The author argues that God brought the children into the wilderness in order to create a people. Wilderness can be a creative, expressive space, where the noise and confusion of “civilization” fades. We must honor that creative wild space,…

The author explains that in this Torah portion, God is given the name “the God of the Spirits of All Flesh,” which can be instructive for our own understanding of the Divine and its influence in our lives, particularly in terms of…

This commentary is about the phrase “Baruch Dayan Emet” (blessed is the true judge) and the power and holiness of judgment. Jews in general, and queer Jews in particular, are acutely aware of the powerful impact that judgment…

The author begins by arguing that the women of this portion are the heroes – the midwives Shifra and Puah as well as Pharaoh’s daughters Yocheved and Miriam. He discusses what it means for Harvey Fierstein, an out gay man, to play…

The author writes of his personal experience in a marching band in high school, and tells a particular story of making the right move when the rest of the band did not. He relates this story to the Torah portion–how it felt to be right but…

This commentary focuses on the rite of purification after having come into contact with a corpse, the ritual of the Red Heifer. The animal must be completely perfect, blemish-free. The author argues that the details of this ritual defy rational…

The author argues that in this Torah portion, we find a different model for what it means to be a sacred community, one radically different than the model we see at Sinai, and one that tends toward acknowledging people as bodies as well as ideas.…

The author argues that this portion provides a model of repentance that provides a perfect time to come out to our communities in a more forthright way. The portion ends with an admonishment to grow and change; to return to our true selves as the…

The author discusses the events of the climactic moment of this parasha, the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, and the trauma that the Israelites brought with them with they reached the Sea to cross it. She draws parallels between a traumatic event…

While the Torah portion begins with a census that broke down the people into groups and abstract numbers, the author teaches that Rashi’s understanding of the change of leadership suggests that ultimately each Israelite was seen as an individual. Too…

On Pesach, we are obligated to think of ourselves as having personally come out of Egypt. The author asks, how is this act of historical imagination supposed to work? One way is through telling and retelling of our own stories. Tradition expands…

The author explores the story of the “strange fire” brought by Nadav and Avihu in this portion. He argues that Jews and queers have always been accused of being different, alien and inferior, like the strange fire brought by Nadav…

The author recounts the story of the Israelites’ forbidden worship of Moabite women, the praise given to Pinchas for murdering an Israelite man and the Moabite woman he has sex with. The author suggests that Pinchas acted out of rage…

The author explores the story of Hagar and Ishmael being cast out into the wilderness and God opening Hagar’s eyes to the well that was before her. He then shares his own story of coming out and how unpredictable life can be.…

The author summarizes the story of the Golden Calf in this commentary, focusing particularly on the Israelites’ desire to be close to God. He argues that there may be external factors that color our thinking about God’s role in the…

The author explores the commandment to not create objects with God’s likeness: we don’t need anything carved or sculpted to replace our understanding of God. Enough exists of God in the world for us to rely on. Similarly, we cannot…

The author explains the Jubilee year described in the Torah portion, and the miracles God will provide during this fallow year. He expands our understanding of the opposites of “miracles” and “nature” when it comes…

The author frames the story of Tamar and Judah as an example of speaking out against injustice without shaming another person. Instead of publicly calling out Judah, Tamar takes a different route to teach Judah a lesson. As queers, the author…

The authors examine the verses of Torah forbidding gender cross-dressing, discussing some Rabbinic interpretations of these verses. They argue that these verses teach that we must not misrepresent our true gender in order to cause harm.…

The author tracks the story of the burial of Joseph’s bones, arguing that the memory of the location of Joseph’s bones is crucial to the Exodus. She connects this to the importance of memory to queer identity, and how deeply the history…

The author explores the tradition of inviting ushpizin (sacred guests) into the Sukkah, and then relates this to Sukkot’s challenge to us to receive and to let in, acknowledging the difficulty this might cause people who have experienced…

This commentary is about the nature of God and God’s love–is God a jealous, punishing deity who never forgets the sins of God’s enemies, the implacable parent in the sky, or is God pure and endless benevolence, compassion,…

The text of this portion tells us that if we follow God’s laws, we will be blessed, but if we disobey them, we will be cast out. The author argues that a literal interpretation of this can be used by fanatics to point a finger at people who do…

The author examines the concept of closetedness through the lens of the story of Joseph. He argues that Joseph and his brothers teach us the important lesson that within family we must look at how we can grow and how we can forgive.…

The author discusses the detailed gift requests from God, which will be used to construct the mishkan (Holy Tabernacle). Like the different gifts God requests, queer Jews are varied and diverse. She also describes the cherubim on the mishkan…

The author explains that Aaron wears the names of the 12 tribes on his “shoulder-pieces for remembrance” and on his “breastpiece of judgment,” detailing the makeup of this breastpiece. The author imagines that Aaron is meant to wear…

The author discusses the roles of the matriarchs in the Bible, focusing on Rebecca. Exploring a conundrum of Hebrew grammar, where the word na’ar (masculine gendered) is used to describe Rebecca, a woman, the author understands that an…

Based on an interpretation of this Torah portion, the author believes that Moses would be one of the LGBT community’s best allies if he were alive today. The author argues that this portion teaches that fighting for freedom is not easy…

The author writes of his personal experience as a transgender person attending a synagogue and being called up to the Torah for an aliyah. He also recounts the story from this Torah portion where Jacob wrestles with the angel, just as the author…